Engaging the disengaged indefinitely, and with no budget: creating a sustainable model for student library ambassadors

摘要

University Libraries offer a wide range of services and facilities to helpudenhance the student learning experience and to aid the transition into learning atudUniversity. Often, too few Science and Engineering students fully engage with theudservices and facilities on offer and therefore do not benefit from the opportunitiesudavailable to them. Drawing on research highlighting the value of peer support, and theudfact that students are far more likely to use their peers as an information source thanud‘experts’, Loughborough University Library obtained small project funding in 2010 toudemploy four Student Ambassadors in a pilot project to improve student engagement withudthe Library. The successful project demonstrated the potency of the idea in engaging withudstudents, particularly non-users, a large proportion of which are based in the Science andudEngineering Faculties.ududIn the absence of continued funding, the challenge, addressed here, is how to make suchudposts sustainable. Past experience at both Nottingham and Loughborough Universitiesudhas proven how difficult it is to recruit students on a voluntary basis to engage withudUniversity Libraries.ududIn this paper, an innovative and creative method of recruiting and supporting “LearningudResource Leaders” (LRLs) at Nottingham and Loughborough Universities is discussed.udThe strategies employed have resulted in the recruitment of four LRLs – two at eachudinstitution – supported by an industrial sponsor who provides a package of non-monetaryudincentives. The paper also describes the techniques used by the LRLs to disseminateudinformation about the resources offered by the University Libraries and to engage withudthe student cohort.